


Just Like Her

by QwillReign



Series: Wings and Flyte [9]
Category: Septimus Heap - Angie Sage
Genre: All Hallows’eeth, Gen, Wholesome, Wings AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwillReign/pseuds/QwillReign
Summary: When Eliza Rivers sees Madam Marcia, Extraordinary Wizard, walk past with her head held high, her life is changed forever.
Series: Wings and Flyte [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991479
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	Just Like Her

When Eliza Rivers was born, the midwife apologized to her mother. 

“I’m so sorry,” they said, “But she won’t last the night.” 

Eliza’s parents told her that they cried all through that terrible night, sitting with her wrapped in their arms, and holding each other with their wings. But in the morning, Eliza lived. They knew the world would be hard for their little girl with one wing, but she was the best thing that had ever happened to them. 

When Eliza was five, and started going to Ramblings School 3, the other children stared. They teased her for her solitary wing, and she went home in tears. The recurring theme was her uselessness. If she couldn’t fly, the others said, how would she ever be able to do any work? How could she ever hope to be able to join the ranks of the others in the ramblings, without flying to the top shelf, or crossing the river? 

When Eliza was six, her teachers taught them all about the types of wings. There were the wings that birds of prey had- those were for the wizards. The queens all had white wings, with pretty red and gold markings. Sometimes people had wings like their personality, or their wings’s species would be important later in life.  
Of course, one of the boys teased Eliza, taunting her about how if she had only one wing, she must have only half a personality. Eliza went home crying again that day. 

When Eliza was seven, her parents moved the family out of the Ramblings. Eliza went to a new school, and every day she came back to her parent’s new shop, and the customers would coo over her, and pity her, and that hurt just as much as the teasing had.  
When Eliza turned 8, there was no celebration. There was only fear, fear of the Custodian Guards, fear of DomDaniel, who had been the boogeyman parents scared their children with, until he came back.  
The day after her eighth birthday, Eliza nervously looked out of her bedroom window. On the street below, she saw the Guards, and DomDaniel, but she also saw hope. 

Madam Marcia was there! She was obviously in trouble, but Eliza had overheard that she was dead, so this was still much better. All the children had looked up to their Extraordinary Wizard, Eliza including. When Madam Marcia looked up at Eliza, standing tall and proud, and smiled, Eliza gasped. Madam Marcia had only one wing! She wasn’t trying to hide it, and she still looked just as powerful, just as useful as before. In that moment, Eliza resolved to do everything in her power to be just like Madam Marcia, because Madam Marcia was Just Like Her. 

Eliza worked hard in school now. She could be useful, she told herself, she could even be a Wizard! After all, Madam Marcia was the best Wizard, and Eliza wanted to be just as proud, and strong, and powerful as her. 

When Eliza was nine, she went to the Wizard tower, and, as a special birthday present, her parents booked a place on the tour. She didn’t see Madam Marcia, but she did see Magyk, bigger, better Magyk than she saw at school, and she fell in love with that too. 

When Eliza was ten, All Hallows’eeth came to the Castle. With her parent’s help, she put together a costume, and was the best Madam Marcia in the whole of the Castle, the Princess said so! Eliza still didn’t meet the Extraordinary Wizard herself, but she was just like her, and that was enough. 

When Eliza was twelve, she threw herself into her Magyk studies. She learned how to make rocks float, how to freeze an ant, and how to mend her clothes. The last one was definitely the most useful, but it was also rather satisfying to pelt her bullies with pebbles. 

When Eliza was fifteen, she went to the Wizard tower, and she asked for an apprenticeship. This was no longer about being Just Like Madam Marcia, but about being herself, and being powerful and strong.  
When Eliza was sixteen, she got her apprenticeship. She had the time of her life, learning Magyk, and even though it wasn’t her goal anymore, she still wanted to meet Madam Marcia. 

When Eliza was seventeen, after nine years of waiting, she met Madam Marcia. Madam Marcia had come to tell Eliza about an interesting project that her former apprentice, Septimus Heap, had been working on. 

“He has finally worked out most of the problems,” Madam Marcia said, “and we thought you might like to try it out” 

“Is it permanent?” 

“No” 

“That’s fine then. I’ve always wanted to fly, but my wing is part of who I am, I wouldn’t be me with two.” 

“Just so,” Madam Marcia smiled. “Just so.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a Halloween, or in this case, All Hallows’eeth fic, but it went a rather different direction. I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
